On Jan. 22, 2024, former MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight released a statement that the Montgomery County Board of Education has indicated their desire for her to step away from her role. On Feb. 2, she released an official statement stating her immediate resignation.
McKnight has served as MCPS’ Superintendent since February 2022. Prior to her role as Superintendent, she served as MCPS’ Interim and deputy superintendent. According to The Baltimore Sun, she has nearly two decades of experience with the school system and was named Maryland Principal of the Year in 2015. Later, she briefly left MCPS to join Howard County Public Schools but returned in 2019 to serve as deputy under Superintendent Jack R. Smith.
According to NBC4 Washington, “McKnight was the first woman and second person of color to lead Maryland’s largest school district. She is a former teacher, principal and district administrator. She joined MCPS, Maryland’s largest school district, in 2001 and holds degrees from Bowie State University and the University of Maryland.”
As Yahoo News claims, McKnight had to leave her position because she denied having any knowledge of the accusations against a controversy before reports of the incident were made public. The failed Beidleman investigation, which saw former Farquhar Middle School Principal Joel Beidleman promoted to Paint Branch High School principal last summer despite nearly 20 accounts of sexual harassment allegations, revealed that an investigative report occurred, but its publication underwent heavy redaction.
“…[T]he incident with Beidleman is a perfectly qualified grounds for her to resign. Such a serious incident should have been taken far more seriously by school board officials than demonstrated by Beidleman’s promotion to a high school principal. This demonstrates a clear lack of control and important knowledge for McKnight and is grounds for hostility by many parents who have been affected by Beidleman’s actions,” Richard Montgomery High School junior Daniel Yi said. “Of course, with the experience from this event, there would be a faster response, but the lack of a will to rid the school of such a principal is appalling.”
Upon releasing her statement, McKnight received no background information and was unprepared for this sudden departure.
On Tuesday, February 6, the BOE appointed Dr. Monique Felder as interim superintendent. Her prior experience includes being the superintendent of Orange County Schools in North Carolina from 2019 to 2023 and many other leadership roles in schools across MCPS. Felder’s transparency and background in experience in leadership is what ultimately led the BOE to appoint her as the interim superintendent.
“I would hope that the MCPS Board of Education will take more action in future events like this as it is very impactful,” Winston Churchill High School freshman Natalie Chou said.
Written by Jessica Yao of Richard Montgomery High School
Image Courtesy of Fox5 DC